LETTER: Boehner to blame for sequester mess

In response to Mr. Quackenbush's letter of Sunday. The whole sequester "fiasco" is shrouded in political oneupsmanship by the House Republican leaders. Their refusal to pass a debt increase in 2011 was the trigger to this whole sequester mess. There were ideas fostered by both sides suggesting sequestration. In the end there was a compromise that ended in a vote in the House.

That resulted in passage of the bill. Now this bill passed 269 to 161, with 174 Republicans voting for the bill. And 66 against. This would indicate that there was agreement on the outcome of the measure.

If there was any doubt of this conclusion it was removed on Aug. 1, 2011 when Speaker John Boehner declared on national news (CBS Evening News) that, " I got 98% of what I wanted." "I'm pretty happy." So it would seem the blame good or bad would fall on the shoulders of the Republican House leaders, especially in light of the fact that the president was forced to make agreements he did not particularly want to make to avoid a budget crisis he inherited.